Toy Soldiers
by AngStJoan
Summary: She refused to be the reason either of them died. Eventually something awful would happen while they tried to shield her.


Title: Toy Soldiers  
>Verse: SPNSV  
>Rating: T<br>Pairing: Chloe/Winchesters  
>Disclaimer: I don't own much of anything and what I do own does not include the characters within this story. I also don't own the lyrics to the song.<br>A/N: I got this song stuck in my head so of course I listened to it. And of course it reminded me of this pairing (muses work in mysterious ways). Not really any spoilers. Stand alone piece.  
>Summary: She refused to be the reason either of them died. Eventually something awful would happen while they tried to shield her.<p>

_Bit by bit  
>Torn apart<br>We never win  
>But the battle wages on<br>For toy soldiers_

Chloe didn't look back. Couldn't look back. Her legs pumped, muscles burning and breath heaving but she heard the boys behind her running just as hard and knew that they would likely trample right over her if she didn't pick up the pace. Suddenly someone was yelling her name. A strong arm wrapped around her waist from behind and she was picked up off her feet, twirled and then carried across the alley and slammed into a brick wall. Okay, she had been slammed against Sam Winchester's chest but the result would have been the same if it had been a brick wall instead.

Dean loosened his grip on Chloe and passed her to his brother. "Get her out of here!" Sam looked at Dean, the indecision on his face clear. Chloe 's breath sawed in and out and when she realized what Dean was doing she tried to kick out at him from Sam's iron grip. "No! Deeeean!" And then Sam was running with her held close to his side while she struggled to get free.

"Chloe, stop it." Sam's voice came out choppy, strained against the deep breathing he was doing to get them the hell out of dodge. He heard her sob his brothers name, felt the fight leave her body and wanted to stop and cry along with her. Unfortunately, he didn't have that perk right now.

Instead he turned the corner to their motel, flat out running and didn't stop until he was in their room, setting Chloe down to lean against the wall, and then salting the doorway. The windows had been salted earlier. The devil's trap was in place. The shotguns were in plain view on the beds. Now they just had to wait.

Chloe had given herself the world's quickest pep talk and grabbed a shotgun from the bed, ignoring Sam's look of surprise. She ratcheted it with one hand and stood with her feet shoulder-width apart. "I'll cover the door, you take the windows," she said to Sam, tasting her tears that trickled from her eyes. Sam looked like he was about to argue and Chloe glared over at him, "Take the windows, Sam."

Sam's brow furrowed and he nodded once, strongly. His jaw set, he twisted off the lid of the jar that held lamb's blood. He started on the sigil's, taking the time to make sure he got them perfect. He glanced behind him every few minutes to make sure Chloe was okay, not surprised when she sniffled and cleared her throat. When done with the windows he screwed the lid back on the jar and wiped his hands on his jean clad thighs.

Chloe looked over at him out of the corner of her eye, vision still slightly blurry from being knocked around out in the alley. "He'll make it, Chloe." Sam's voice caught her by surprise and she turned her head to look at him straight on. Her voice caught in her throat, cracking. "He'd better. I'll bring him back just to kill him myself if he doesn't."

It had been the better part of an hour and Chloe still stood vigil, waiting for Dean to make it back to them. After opening the gate to hell in that cemetary Chloe had been prepared to battle anything. What had come at them tonight had taken them all off guard. There had been an explosion just as they had come out of the diner a few blocks down. As people turned tail and ran towards them, away from impending doom; they ran headlong down the alley to check out what had happened.

Chloe had never seen anything like it and she had been with the Winchester's long enough now to have thought she had seen it all. The ground had continued to shake long after they had arrived on the scene, flames shooting up from the ground. She had figured that something had clawed it's way up from Hell. Boy, had she been right.

Chloe shifted her weight and gripped the sawed off with both hands. She couldn't decide which was heavier at the moment, the weapon or her heart. She sucked in a deep breath and let it out on a shaky sigh. What she really wanted to do was lay down fetal position and sob her heart out. But she didn't because she had to believe Dean was fine. She had to believe that she would feel a rip in her soul if anything actually happened to him. To either brother. Chloe rubbed the side of her fist against her sternum, willing away the rising panic that ebbed and flowed the more she thought about Dean standing off with that monster.

She knew Sammy wanted to be out there by his brothers side. And if it weren't for her he probably would be. She wanted to tell him to go, that she would stay in the motel room and not get in the way. But she knew from past experience that he wouldn't leave her. One of them always stayed by her side when they had close calls, leaving the other brother to fend off whatever monsters had come for them. Chloe felt fear that she would be their downfall. And she had promised herself long ago that if she felt like she was holding them back, she would leave them. She knew if something happened to either one it would be because she was the weak link and she would not be able to live with that guilt. She also knew that her time had come to walk away if something didn't change and soon.

It was time for her to move on from the boys if they couldn't see her as a hunter. She refused to be the reason either of them died. Eventually something awful would happen while they tried to shield her. When Dean got back, because he WOULD get back, she would sit them down and let them know.

Sam watched emotions play over Chloe's face. The tiny blonde had been with them for so long now that Sam could barely remember a time when she wasn't singing along from the backseat. Or chanting Latin to exorcise a demon. Or even hustling for some quick cash. He knew it had been years since they had been driving the Impala down the back roads of Kansas on their way into Lawrence when they had cruised right past her. Dean had slammed on the brakes, swerving the car to the side of the road and then he had thrown it in reverse, sealing their fates. She hadn't been a hitchhiker. She had been just as suspicious of them as they had been of her.

_"How do I know you aren't going to kill me and wear my skin around like a housecoat?" She had asked as she stood back warily from where Sam leaned out the passenger side window, asking her if she needed a ride._

_Dean had laughed and leaned an arm against the steering wheel, giving the blonde a once over. "You don't have to worry about me, I have no interest in dressing like a chick. Sammy, here, though..." He trailed off on a wince as Sam elbowed him back into his seat._

_"I promise neither of us will try to kill you." Sam said, crossing his heart._

_Chloe had narrowed her eyes and tilted her head and then shrugged, throwing caution to the wind. "Okay, but I'm just headed into the next major city, my car broke down back there." She had climbed into the back seat and adjusted her purse. Dean smiled at her in the rear view, Sam smiled at her in the side view, and Chloe laughed and relaxed. These two clowns couldn't hurt a fly. And neither of them tried to kill her, but something else tried to while they drove down that abandoned stretch of road._

_Chloe had jerked upright when she heard the scratching on the roof of the car. They had only been driving for a few minutes. She reached forward and tapped Sam on the shoulder as to not alert the driver, Dean his name was. Sam raised his eyebrows in question as he turned to look behind him at her. The screech of claws against metal had all 3 of them looking up at the roof of the car and then an extra large talon punched right through beside Chloe's head. She immediately ducked and pitched herself over the bench seat to practically sit on the dashboard, trying to get as far away from that thing as possible. Dean had already brought the car to a stop and had pulled a gun out from nowhere. Sam had turned in his seat as well, his back shielding Chloe from the creature trying to eat its way through the Impala's top, a deadly knife gripped in his right hand._

_Chloe watched as Dean got out of the car, Sam staying in to protect her. Dean had wrestled the monster and then punched it until something green oozed out of its ear, or what she thought was its ear. Then he had shot it multiple times, Chloe jumping each time the gun sounded off._

_The boys had then dragged the thing off into one of the fields lining the road and Chloe decided right then that she was going wherever these guys went. She had seen some crazy stuff in Smallville, and she had been on her way to Metropolis to start her internship, but if things like this really existed outside of the realm of meteor rocks she was going to stay with the pros. No way these boys were amateurs._

Sam couldn't remember putting up a fight. Chloe had seemed like such a natural fit that she had integrated right into their everyday lives. He and Dean had both noticed how much she seemed to like the freedom of just packing up and traveling the open road. She had pleasantly surprised them with her in depth research and her penchant to find weirdness. Her strength and resilience had astounded both of them when she had asked to start training with them. The sleeping arrangements were tricky sometimes but more often than not they would request a cot. Mostly the cot went ignored and Chloe would just crawl into bed with whomever was still up when she was finally ready to settle in for the night.

Neither Sam nor Dean had brought up their attraction to her. They didn't exactly see her as their little sister but they knew she thought of them as her brothers and that was enough to make both men back down and reign in their libidos.

As the hours passed Chloe begged Sam to go out and find Dean. After assuring him she would salt the door as soon as he left and that she would stay put for the hundredth time, he finally relented. And not just for Chloe's sake. He needed peace of mind as well. Sam took his time winding his way back towards the mouth of the alley where they had encountered the hell beast. Sam was sure it was a mutated soul that had been tortured for so long it had lost all its humanity. It had stood around 8 feet tall, bloodied bristled hair covering it's muscular body. The jowls of a true beast and the claws to match, only it stood on two legs and had spoken in some broken language. They hadn't exactly stuck around to try to communicate with it. Not knowing what they were dealing with, their first instinct had been to get Chloe to safety. Dean had turned Chloe around and pushed her telling her to "Run! Run!". And Chloe had obeyed automatically. The boys hot on her heels.

Sam had seen what Dean had. Someone had had to stay behind and distract the beast. Sam had been about to slow down and give the other two a head start when Dean had taken the initiative. If something happened to Dean, Chloe would have to stand in line because as far as Sam was concerned, he got first crack at him.

Sam steadied his breath, the smell of sulfur and the metallic bite of blood sucking into his lungs before turning one last corner. He spotted Dean immediately, leaned up against a brick wall beside a dumpster. He was cradling his arm close to his chest and his eyes were closed, pain etched on his face. His struggle to breathe had Sam hurrying over to him. Sam crouched down, eyes darting everywhere to try to find the hell beast. "Dean, you okay?"

Dean grunted and rolled his head on his shoulders to look up at Sam. He had blood smeared across his face but no noticeable wounds. "Do I look okay?"

Sam grinned. "You look like a steaming pile."

Dean's grin was more of a grimace as he struggled to sit upright. "Chloe?"

"Safe."

Dean leaned against Sam, letting him carry his weight. His shoulder was dislocated, a few ribs were bruised but most of the blood covering him wasn't his own and for that he felt like celebrating. "Bastard put up a fight. I had to serve up a few incantations to find the right one." Dean stumbled along, his feet not cooperating. "Sucked him back to hell." Sam nodded and led Dean back to the motel. "Chloe's really safe?" Dean asked as they rounded the corner, bringing the motel into view.

"She's safe. She had to talk me into leaving her alone long enough to come get you."

Dean grunted as Sam rapped on their door with his knuckles. "Glad you did."

Sam watched Chloe open the door, her eyes filled to the brim with tears and her smile blinding as she reached for Dean. He watched Chloe lead his brother into the bathroom where she would probably spend the next hour cleaning him up. "Me too," Sam whispered and sat on the edge of the bed. "Me too."

Dean sat on the closed toilet lid, his head hanging down. His eyes were closed in exhaustion, the corners of his lips were turned down in a slight frown. He barely moved when Chloe ran a sink full of soapy water. He didn't flinch when she threaded her fingers through his hair, the movement gentle and caring and he wanted so badly to lean in to it and just let himself go. But he was the man here and while weakness was sometimes tolerated, he wasn't going to be a little bitch just because he ached in a few places.

Chloe wet the washcloth and wrung it out. Then she nudged Dean's legs apart and stood between his knees as she gently wiped the blood from his face. The fingers of her left hand tipped his chin up while she trailed the corner of the cloth over his brow and down the side of his face, lingering at a spot near his ear where the blood had coagulated. Her bottom lip was caught firmly between her teeth as she tried not to speak. She knew if she said anything it would end with her sobbing all over him and she decided the last thing Dean Winchester needed tonight was an emotional woman on his hands. So she carefully continued to wash away the blood and dirt until he was as clean as she could get him. Then she stepped out from between his legs and turned the shower on high, letting the steam curl around them. Chloe waited until Dean stood up on shaky legs and she removed his leather coat, his long sleeved button up and then the faded black tee under that. When his top half was uncovered she knelt down and undid one boot, then the other, removing them as well. She peeled off his socks and tossed them behind her towards the corner of the bathroom.

She didn't dare reach for the button and zipper of his jeans. Deans hands rested there, waiting for her to leave before he undressed himself the rest of the way. Chloe stood before him, her eyes searching his before gently cradling his face with her hands and standing on her toes to give him the barest of kisses. "Don't stay in here too long." Then she let her hands drop back to her sides and she was leaving the bathroom, letting him take care of himself.

She had plenty of experience doctoring up the boys. She had become quite familiar with the first aid kit and had taught herself how to give stitches without blinking. This wasn't the first time she had played nurse with the Winchesters. Just last month she had dug a bullet out of Sam's calf and then sutured it close. It wasn't the first time, but she was afraid it would be the last.

Sam was laying on his back, fully dressed on the bed furthest from the door when Chloe came out of the bathroom, steam rolling out after her. She quietly closed the door behind her, looked at Sam's sad eyes as he turned his face toward her and she lost it. She sat down hard on the chair next to her and put her face in her hands and just wept. She didn't stop when Sam crouched down in front of her, she couldn't stop when he grabbed her arms and pulled her towards the bed. He took her in his arms and caught her to him, laying them back on the bed and wrapping her close to him against his chest. Chloe pressed her face into his flannel shirt and sobbed, her body shaking with each stuttering breath she dragged in. Sam just cradled her close and ran a hand down her hair, letting the soft locks fall through his fingers. His eyes welled up as she moaned long and low, her pain raw and on the surface.

Chloe's small hands curled into fists against his stomach and he felt her shudder out a breath, hoping that she was close to settling down. He was aware of Dean coming out of the bathroom, his dirty jeans zipped up to cover his bottom half but the button still undone. Dean blinked tears out of his eyes as he stared down at Chloe wrapped up next to Sam, her tiny body dwarfed by his brothers 6'4" frame. He could tell she was drifting to sleep the way her body shook and her breath evened out, the occasional hiccup wracking her body. He came to stand on the other side of the bed and slowly lowered himself down to lie on the other side of Chloe. He had popped his shoulder back into place in the shower, the hot water loosening up the joint as much as possible. He reached out with his left hand and placed it on Chloe's back, feeling her lungs expand and retract.

He briefly met Sam's eyes above the blonde cap of soft curls resting between them and wasn't surprised to see bare emotions there. He felt the moisture on his own face and knew that tonight had been a close call for all of them. Nodding at Sam before breaking eye contact, he scooted as close to Chloe as he could manage, his ribs protesting each time he shifted but he didn't care. He curled into her, around her, his chest pressed tightly to her back and let the even fall of her breaths lull him into sleep, his hand possessively gripping her waist.

Hours later Chloe woke up and groaned, trying to stretch and slightly panicking when she couldn't move more than a few inches in any direction. She opened her eyes to see the blue flannel of Sam's shirt under her cheek. She felt a hand contract on her hip from behind and turned her head as far as possible, surprised to see Dean staring back at her. His hand clenched involuntarily before he flexed his fingers and brushed over her hip and down across her thigh, bring his hand back up to fall casually on her stomach. Chloe turned, a slow inch at a time until she lay on her back, the top of her head still tucked up under Sam's jaw, his soft snores shifting her hair.

Chloe brought her hand up and placed it over Dean's, now resting low on her abdomen. "Dean," she whispered and took his hand, placing a gentle kiss against his bruised knuckles. Dean shut his eyes tight and leaned his forehead against hers. Chloe brought her other hand up and brushed the back of her hand against his cheekbone. Her voice stuck in her throat and she croaked out, "I was so afraid." She admitted, taking his hand in both of hers and holding it close to her heart.

Dean shook his head and whispered, "I'm so sorry, Chloe."

Chloe nodded gently and blinked back the tears that threatened once again. "Promise me not to do anything like that again?" Dean searched her eyes with his and nodded. "Next time we can't split up, Dean." His eyes closed tightly once more while he tried to regain his composure. He'd been so sure she was going to tell him she was leaving. "The next time you put my life above yours, I'm going to leave." Her voice caught on a soft sob. Dean shook his head quickly.

"Chloe, -"

"No." At the emphasis she put on the word Dean watched her carefully. "No, Dean." He pressed his lips together and waited. Knew she was collecting her thoughts and choosing her words carefully so as not to start a fight. "I don't want to be the reason you go out without backup any more. I have been patient and I have stayed in the car when you've told me to. I have salted myself into a circle on more than one occasion because you've ordered me too." Dean breathed in deeply, aware that Sam had woken up and was listening to Chloe's quiet demands, her voice strong but still a breathy whisper. "I have trained, I can shoot, I can recite Latin backwards and forwards." She raised her eyebrows at Dean as if to ask if he agreed. His eyes flicked up to Sam's and Chloe reached over with her right hand to take Sam's hand, holding onto it to let him know that she included him in the conversation as well. Her left hand still held Dean's against her heart, squeezing him tightly. "The next time you leave me salted in a motel room I'm going to walk away. I can't stand the thought that either of you are out there without a partner because one of you is babysitting me."

Dean knew it was only a matter of time before Chloe asked to be treated as an equal. He had been preparing for this moment and knew Sam had been steeling himself for it as well.

He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, nodding in agreement. "Okay. Next time we fight a big bad, you stay with us the whole time." Chloe's body seemed to relax all at once and she leaned forward, placing a soft kiss against the corner of his mouth. Then she turned her head up and tilted it back to place an equally soft kiss against Sam's bottom lip.

"Thank you." She said with a heartfelt smile at the both of them and closed her eyes again, missing the knowing look passed between brothers. Chloe squirmed between them and chuckled. "I can't believe we all fit on a twin size." Dean laughed and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed until he was facing away from where Chloe was still cuddled into Sam.

"Didn't exactly plan on falling asleep there last night." Dean got up and stretched and Chloe watched as he headed toward the coffee pot in the tiny kitchenette.

Sam was soon abandoning her to use the restroom and Chloe sat up slowly in the middle of the bed, tucking her feet in under her. She thanked Dean as he handed her a cup of coffee and smiled at Sam as he came out of the bathroom, running his hands through his hair. Chloe sipped thoughtfully and shifted her eyes from one brother to the other. "Maybe next time we should forgo the double and just get one with a queen size."

Both brothers looked over at her, brows raised in unison. Chloe held up a hand to halt any questions. "Just a suggestion," she added, then she excused herself to go to the bathroom, smiling the whole way.

_Step by step  
>Heart to heart<br>Left, right, left  
>We all fall down<br>Like toy soldiers_

**Complete**

****There is a follow up Sam/Chloe/Dean story rated NC17: Toy Soldiers (Revisited) that you can find at the livejournal community winchullivan **  
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